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. 2016 Jul 12;11(7):e0159026.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159026. eCollection 2016.

AplusB: A Web Application for Investigating A + B Designs for Phase I Cancer Clinical Trials

Graham M Wheeler  1   2 , Michael J Sweeting  3 , Adrian P Mander  1
Affiliations

AplusB: A Web Application for Investigating A + B Designs for Phase I Cancer Clinical Trials

Graham M Wheeler et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

In phase I cancer clinical trials, the maximum tolerated dose of a new drug is often found by a dose-escalation method known as the A + B design. We have developed an interactive web application, AplusB, which computes and returns exact operating characteristics of A + B trial designs. The application has a graphical user interface (GUI), requires no programming knowledge and is free to access and use on any device that can open an internet browser. A customised report is available for download for each design that contains tabulated operating characteristics and informative plots, which can then be compared with other dose-escalation methods. We present a step-by-step guide on how to use this application and provide several illustrative examples of its capabilities.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Design schematic of the A + B design without dose de-escalation.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Design schematic of the A + B design with dose de-escalation.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Graphical user interface (GUI) for scenario and design parameters.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Output tabs for AplusB application.
The Scenario plots tab shows the performance of four operating characteristics. The Scenario operating characteristics tab provides tabular and numerical summaries of key operating characteristics that depend on the DLT probabilities chosen on the left-hand panel. The Design operating characteristics tab shows operating characteristics dependent only upon the design selected, specifically confidence intervals and the tipping point.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Example trial pathways for various A + B designs.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Scenario plots for Example I.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Scenario plots for Example II.
Fig 8
Fig 8. Scenario plots for Example IV.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Scenario plots for Example IV.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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